Addressing the Lack of an Address

For just a moment, think about your house. Maybe you live in an apartment, or perhaps a grand old historic mansion. Maybe things are kept absolutely spotless, or you happen to lean on the messier side of things. You may have an obnoxious neighbor who drives you nuts. There’s a leaky faucet in your bathroom. When you walk down the hall there’s a little squeak in one of your floorboards. Now, imagine all of these things have completely vanished from your life. Not that you’ve finally got around to fixing them, but your home itself no longer exists. Where would you go? Some of you may have a good relationship with a family member, and they might let you crash with them for a while. But suppose you didn’t have that. What if their home vanished alongside yours, or you simply didn’t have anyone in your life who would be able to support you? Do you stay at a motel somewhere in town? Maybe, but what if now your money is gone too? How are you going to get ready for work? Where do you sleep? How are you going to get your children to school and pick them up from daycare? What are you going to eat or feed your children? Your kitchen no longer exists, so all those healthy fruits and vegetables are now gone. You don’t have money for groceries, so what other options do you have? All of these hypotheticals are just a few of the many questions that thousands of homeless individuals have to answer for themselves on a daily basis. Homelessness has evolved into a multidimensional issue that effects families, health care systems, education for our youth, waste management, and pretty much every other aspect of city management. If a city could completely fix the issues plaguing our homeless population, then the city as a whole would have an exponentially easier time managing all these other issues the city may face (i.e. litter, low scoring schools, crime, violence in the streets, drug use, etc.)

Certainly, there isn’t a single correction to be made that could eradicate homelessness, the issue is so multi-faceted to have a single solution. First and foremost, the narrative surrounding homelessness in our modern culture needs to change. There are too many negative thoughts and feelings about these people and in order for the general population to be open to offer assistance and provide public programs, those negative connotations need to be addressed. There would have to be rehabilitation services provided for those who experience a crippling addiction. Considering that a large portion of homeless experience mental disorders, and the other part of the population more than likely experiences extreme mental distress from their history and their current situation, intensive therapy would need to be offered to people to help them cope and maintain a positive mental health. Having a job is a necessity to be able to apply for subsidized housing, so job programs directed specifically at those who are homeless or living in shelters are essential. Finally, there is the issue of homeless families, and that there are currently children who are being adversely affected by homelessness, and in order to try and prevent a multi-generational lifestyle those children are going to need their own level of support. There are examples of each and every one of these systems working individually, and it’s important to analyze each and every one of them to be able to imagine how having them all working in unison could eliminate homelessness entirely.

It’s incredibly difficult to wrap your head around the immense adversity that homeless individuals have to face on a daily basis, making it all that much more difficult for them to try and get on their feet. Many are stuck in a cycle of survival, just trying to make ends meet, find food, and locate a place where they can feel safe to rest their head to get some sleep. Without options available to them to find work, they are forced into a self-perpetuating system of begging for scraps and coins. The instability of a lot of homeless lives ultimately makes the idea of coming out of homelessness feel like an uphill battle. Shelters often discriminate against those with drug or alcohol problems and offer little protection against potential violence or sexual assault. Individuals who are considered homeless often experience much higher numbers of violence and sexual assault than those of “nonmarginalized groups” (Horan). They are considered a much more vulnerable population, and for a variety of reasons many of these violent crimes often go without punishment. Police will often just make things worse, especially if the individual is involved in sex work or struggles with addiction of illegal substances.

There are damaging ideas floating around that poison the narrative of homeless individuals. This kind of hateful rhetoric can be exposed in a variety of ways, most often in ways that are unspoken. One of the most common practices of an everyday citizen is to simply ignore the homeless outright. Most often people will walk by them sitting on the street without so much as a glance. Sometimes that isn’t enough for people to pretend that homeless people aren’t real, so there are many clever ways in which a city can disguise the homeless. A new trick being implemented by business and city officials is the act of displacement. This can be exemplified by things such as anti-homeless architecture that is built around many cities.

There are architectural forms that are built to prevent loitering in certain areas. The subtle nature of the harmful elements may go unseen to a housed citizen but are far more apparent to those directly impacted by their effects. Rough cement spikes are placed by the city officials along highway underpasses to prevent an individual to seek refuge under a sheltered area in times of inclement weather. Local businessmen will install sharp and dangerous metal spikes along the edge of a windowsill to make the notion of finding a place to lean and rest become rather hostile. A city may try to manipulate public benches by creating a curvature or implementing seat dividers disguised as armrests to prevent a tired soul from lying down and finding rest. A hard metal top will be latched on the top of a trash can with small access holes to prevent an individual from easily sifting through the garbage and finding something of use to them. There could be an argument made that this also prevents someone from pouring out trash out of that trashcan and into a street, but regardless it’s constricting an otherwise valuable resource for someone who could benefit from whatever may be inside. The solution to folks enduring homelessness isn’t displacement or refusing alternative resource. Too often are citizens guilty of pretending that homeless people don’t exist. No problem has ever been solved by pretending that it isn’t there, it only continues to reinforce the idea that a homeless person is something to be avoided and ignored.

This preventative architecture creates a hostility towards those who are most affected by these brutal installations throughout a city. It proves to only deepen the divide between homeless and a housed citizen and perpetuates the myth that somehow the homeless are less deserving of basic needs and certain life comforts. This awful narrative can be reflected back on the individual who is experiencing these hardships and create a litany of other problems for that individual, encouraging mental health crisis and increased drug usage. SAMHSA (the Substance abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) offers a statistic that almost a third of those who experience chronic homelessness suffer from mental disorder. Half of those individuals with mental disorders also deal with issues of substance abuse (SAMHSA). With limited resources for those individuals to find stability in their lives, the issue itself becomes self-perpetuating. There is one country however, who were brave enough to try a radical new concept not to punish habitual drug users, but to assist them.

Heroin began to take over the country of Portugal during the 1980’s and quickly ran amok through its communities (Soares). Initially Portugal decided it would take a very similar “hard on drugs” approach that the United States used, but eventually in 1999 the country decided to use a different approach. Instead of enforcing stricter punishments on drug offenders, the country decided to decriminalize all drugs, creating a tolerance of all drug use by the state from then on out (Soares). Portugal decided that the best approach to trying to combat drug use was to try and reduce harm to that individual, not increase it with harsh penalties and imprisonment. Since doing so, the Portuguese have seen a decrease in state costs such as prison overcrowding, court costs, health care costs (Soares). Since the enactment of drug decriminalization, the mission for Portuguese communities has switched to how can we get the drug users the help they need. Drug users serve no jail time, they don’t even need to show up to a court date, they simply are escorted to a mandatory medical treatment facility where they go through a rehabilitation process (Frayer). Since the decriminalization, Lisbon has experienced a 75% decrease in heroin users and a 95% decrease in drug related HIV infections (Frayer). Clearly the policy to help rather than to punish transgressors has a really positive effect not only on the users, but for the country as a whole. The government will even provide clean needles to a drug user, a controversial topic that in fact is beginning to take hold right here in America.

A new concept recently introduced in America has been intensely debated in large U.S. cities such as New York, San Francisco, and Boston. The idea was to open up safe-injection sites for individuals who use drugs intravenously. The concept is still relatively small, but there is research on the idea that shows a lot of benefits. The safe spaces have dropped overdose rates to zero for anyone who utilizes the facility, as there has never been a single death reported in these facilities (Meyers). Because of the careful nature with how the facilities provide clean utilities for the user, there is no chance of the user to contract or spread infectious diseases like HIV. In the city of Vancouver, 82% of the Drug budget is allocated to the police force, and there has been no reduction in crime rates, addiction, or the transmission of infectious disease, showing that giving all that money to the police isn’t helping anyone at all, and is simply a waste of funds that could otherwise go towards effective programs (Meyers). The safe-injection facility itself isn’t providing the drugs, but rather it makes sure to keep the individual safe as well as reduce any infectious waste that may litter the streets. Since Boston opened up SPOT (the Supportive Place for Observation and Treatment), there has been a reduction in intoxicated individuals seen in public by 28% (León Et Al.). Unfortunately, the same study did not find that there was a reduction in litter pertaining to illicit drug use such as syringes, but maybe there is a different way that communities could tackle the issue of hazardous waste. The community of Bakersfield, CA had a unique solution to not only their litter issues, but their unemployment issues as well. 

It is impossible for a homeless individual to receive subsidized housing without employment, so often times this can be a self-perpetuating issue. Someone can’t afford a home without work, but they can’t find work without a home to bathe, sleep, and have stability. In Bakersfield, the KBB (Keep Bakersfield Beautiful) non-profit is attempting to help segue homeless individuals into subsidized housing by providing work opportunity to those living in shelters. The nonprofit, partnered with the city’s waste department, utilizes its employed staff to clean up litter off of the city’s highway systems (Moretti). This solves not one but two problems that face many cities across the country. The KBB employed 49 homeless individuals, allowing them to receive a steady income, as well as apply for subsidized housing. Each and every one of those employees since starting work with this company has found housing, meaning that 250 homeless family members were able to be housed (Moretti).

The program is currently expanding in Bakersfield and is a great role model that other cities across the country could emulate. The idea of public services being provided by an often-marginalized group of people changes the public opinion of homeless individuals from a negative one into a positive one. Citizens of the city are able to immediately recognize the contributions of the homeless and the importance of their role in maintaining and upkeeping a city’s beauty and cleanliness. In turn, the newfound respect and dignity shown to that homeless individual can reinvigorate them with a sense of pride for their efforts. This could in turn alleviate the stress on that person’s mental health, and the well-being of their family as a whole. It’s often easy to forget that there are thousands of homeless families with young children that are negatively impacted by homelessness.

Women with families are disproportionately affected by this homeless crisis. 40% of the homeless population are families, and 84% of all homeless families are women headed households, most of the time with several very young children in tow (Roschelle). A lot of these women are homeless because they are trying to escape situations of extreme domestic violence and abuse. Often times they have little to no outside support systems or social connections to be able to ask for help. The notion of alienation is a tactic commonly used by abusers, and it ensures that when a woman decides to get away from the abuser, she has no resources or relationships. Because of this, the women and children will invariably become homeless. Unfortunately, there is also a racial incongruity amongst homeless populations, with black families being seven times more likely to experience homelessness than a white family (Roschelle). At the moment there is not a lot of research being done on the correlation between homeless women and domestic violence, but when you see the statistics, the inconsistency is plain as day.

Black people in America have experienced a multitude of extreme oppression, which has caused a rift in an economic equality. Black families have been kept in economic hardship by racist ideals and biased governance, and thus have been victims of a system built against them. A black family is then forced into a low-income community, where it is statistically more likely for citizens in these low-income communities to have to bear witness to a plethora of violent activities. Gang violence, drug use and distribution, domestic violence, and prostitution are all far more likely to occur in areas of poverty than in wealthier neighborhoods. Black women and Latinas experience a disproportionate amount of domestic violence and child abuse compared to white women, and in that same vein they are much more likely to experience homelessness (Roschelle).

There are approximately 1.5 million young students in America falling under the classification of being homeless (Bishop Et Al.). Without any permanent residence to call home, these students may often sleep on the street, couch surf through various non-permanent living situations, or live out of various motels and other temporary situations. The students could be attempting to escape situations of domestic violence or could be cast out of their home for their identification within the LGBTQ+ community. This creates a tremendous amount of instability and uncertainty in a young person’s life, and it can negatively impact their lives in so many different ways, in particular with their academic success. Children who are classified under this umbrella of housing instability are twice as likely to be suspended and regularly have to miss school (Bishop Et al.). This in turn leads to being far less prepared for college if they even make it that far, as the graduation rates for these students is also reduced for these children (Bishop et al.).

There is in fact a Non-profit community right here in Dayton, OH that is attempting to make a difference in the lives of these struggling youths. Daybreak, an organization that has been operating since 1975, assists youth of all circumstances regarding housing insecurity. Their doors are open 24/7, and offers children services up to age 24 who find themselves in crisis, couch surfing, or any other potential issue that individual may be facing. This organization provides food, shelter, clothing, and any other basic necessity that the children may be requiring. Not only does Daybreak provide the essentials, but the organization also offers counseling for these children, as well as job training and placement services to help facilitate the youth to get stable employment. According to Daybreak’s annual report, just last year the organization was able to offer assistance to 762 children in the area who were lucky enough to have a place like this to turn to. Unfortunately, this kind of organization is not widespread, and this is the only one of its kind in the entire region. If children are unable to get the assistance that they require to succeed, then this issue becomes one that they may pass down to their own children. There needs to be assistance like this across the nation, as there are so many areas in the United States that are experiencing hardships one way or the other. If there is an expectation to repair America’s future, it all starts with helping those who are going to become the future.

There are a lot of great organizations in the United States right now assisting the homeless, but that certainly does not mean we are doing the most. Many of the organizations that are making a difference in people’s lives are non-profits, while most state-run organizations do the bare minimum and are constantly subject to tax cuts and budget reductions. Most of the budget in any single city across the united states is allocated to the local Police Department. We are clearly choosing a path of crime and punishment, only to be met with the repercussions of that environment such a thing breeds. We have overpopulated prison systems to the point where there actually have to be private prison systems to manage the overflow, costing the state millions of dollars. Schools across the nation are consistently underfunded and falling short of the mark that puts us as one of the lowest performing developed countries around the globe.

There are a number of ways that society can choose to assist our homeless community, and they all have proven to be incredibly effective. It’s a manner of deciding as a community what resources we value, and who exactly do we value. If we choose to make financial investments in our marginalized groups who are often labeled as having no value to our society, we are giving them a financial value. If we pay for a system that puts a person back to work, we are assuring that person’s participation in our local economy. If we properly fund school systems and offer more help to struggling students, we can assure that individual will have a greater success rate in their education. Creating a more educated future generation ensures that we continue to push the boundaries of what the world believes was possible, and these students may one day change the world with their unique ideas and alternative perspectives. More often than not it has been shown that a homeless individual who was given an opportunity was able to get themselves out of their current situation and into a residence. Choosing to invest in the homeless of today may very well give the homeless child of tomorrow a chance to change the world and make it a better place for everyone.

Works Cited

Bishop, Joseph, et al. “America’s Inescapable Crisis: Student ” Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 102, no. 7, 2021, pp. 42–46., doi:10.1177/00317217211007338.

Daybreak, 27 July 2020, daybreakdayton.org/.

De Fine Licht, Karl Persson. “Hostile Urban Architecture: A Critical Discussion of the Seemingly Offensive Art of Keeping People Away.” Etikk i Praksis - Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics, vol. 11, no. 2, 2017, p. 27., doi:10.5324/eip.v11i2.2052.

Frayer, Lauren. “In Portugal, Drug Use Is Treated As A Medical Issue, Not A Crime. NPR, 2018. Morning Edition.

Horan, Loren, and Eric Beauregard. “Sexual Violence Against Marginalized Victims: Choice of Victim or Victim of Choice?” Victims & Offenders, vol. 13, no. 2, 2016, pp. 277–291., doi:10.1080/15564886.2016.1232326.

León, Casey, et al. “Changes in Public Order after the Opening of an Overdose Monitoring Facility for People Who Inject Drugs.” International Journal of Drug Policy, vol. 53, Mar. 2018, pp. 90–95., doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.12.009.

Meyers, Emilie, and Ellen Snyder. “Harm Reduction at Its Best: A Case for Promoting Safe Injection Facilities.” University of Ottawa Journal of Medicine, vol. 4, no. 2, 2014, pp. 24–27., doi:10.18192/uojm.v4i2.1052.

Moretti, Sal. “Creating a Bridge between City and State to Solve a Problem: A Case Study of the City of Bakersfield Solid Waste Division Initiative.” Journal of Urban Regeneration & Renewal, 2 July 2014, pp. 66–70.

Roschelle, Anne R. “Our Lives Matter: The Racialized Violence of Poverty among Homeless Mothers of Color.” Sociological Forum, vol. 32, 2017, pp. 998–1017., doi:10.1111/socf.12365.

Soares, Mónica, et al. “Tackling Harm Reduction, Human Rights and Drug Uses on Recreational Environments: Tensions, Potentialities and Learnings from the Kosmicare Project (Portugal).” Revista Crítica De Ciências Sociais, no. 112, 2017, pp. 3–24., doi:10.4000/rccs.6535.

“Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.” SAMHSA, www.samhsa.gov/.